Norwich man charged with murder in death of Darius Bishop

Bozrah — State police charged a Norwich man Monday with the gunshot murder of Darius Bishop, who was found dead in a Bozrah baseball field three months ago.

Dequan McKethan, 34, of 61 Summit St. was charged with murder and held on a $1 million bond pending his arraignment.

Bishop, 28, a former Norwich resident, was found dead Sept. 25. He died from an apparent single gunshot wound to the head, police said.

McKethan, who police said was already in jail on other charges, was arrested Monday morning and processed by the Eastern District Major Crime Squad at Norwich Superior Court. On Friday, the crime squad had applied for Mc­Kethan’s arrest warrant charging him with Bishop’s death.

Bishop’s body was found at Ray Hayward Memorial Field on Route 163 in Bozrah. The state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide as a result of a gunshot wound.

Two days later, Norwich police arrested McKethan, on motor vehicle charges and seized a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun, a clear plastic bag of cocaine and a marijuana cigar. Bishop had been killed with the same caliber handgun, police said.

When he was arrested, police said McKethan was found sitting in his car less than 300 feet from where Bishop’s car was found on Bills Avenue.

Police did not charge him in connection with Bishop’s death at that time, but at his arraignment on the motor vehicle, drug and weapon charges Judge Kevin P. McMahon set his bond at $500,000. McKethan was unable to post that bond despite efforts by his attorney to lower it.

Bishop, who lived at 27 Greene Ave., worked two jobs: delivering food during the day and working in distribution for a furniture outlet at night, according to a neighbor.